Did  you know that the Brazilian expression for the British “this is my cup of tea” is “this is my beach” (“essa é a minha praia”)?

Brazilians love beaches just as much as English loves tea and well… this is very understandable because Brazil has over 2,000 different beaches along 7,941km of coast.  With all this variety we prepared this post with some of the most popular beach destinations so you can decide what places visit when you come to Brazil.

Check it out:

The beaches of Rio de Janeiro

Probably the most popular destination it has remarkable beaches and it’s a classic spot. Ipanema is a Brazilian jewel when it comes to this subject and if it’s not too crowded, it’s an amazing place to chill out and pick some coconuts at the kiosks. This beach was the inspiration for the song “Girl from Ipanema” and a few blocks away from the beach you can find the café where the song was written.

Another amazing option is Copacabana, a place that is often considered one of the top 10 beaches in the world. It tends to be really crowded during the summer and it has a large amount of tourists because it’s beloved by surfers, body surfers and local bathers. It is a nice place to visit with family, play volleyball, water sports  and it is also the home of  the popular foot volleyball.

The beaches of Paraná

Not so known among international tourists the charming coast of Paraná is an alternative route for those who doesn’t appreciate crowded beaches. It offers the most preserved portion of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil and it even allows views of dolphins. The most popular destinations are Guaratuba, Caiobá,  Matinhos and Pontal do Paraná.

The Beaches  of Santa Catarina

Although Santa Catarina is the smallest southern state, it has many beautiful beach destinations that tends to be not so crowded as the northern ones. The state has 561km of coast as well as dozens of thermal-mineral springs, ecological parks and deserted beaches, fishing villages and many resorts. The capital Florianopolis, Floripa as the local says it, has a great quality of life and low crime rate compared to other  Brazilian states. Floripa is a paradise for surfers and nature lovers!

Balneário Camboriú is a beach resort  very popular amongst South Americans. It has an unique cable car that links the central beach to another beach called Laranjeiras. The city also has a statue similar to Rio’s Christ the Redeemer but in a smaller size and with a spotlight that shines out the entire city.

The beaches of Bahia

There are incredible 1,100km of coastline in Bahia full of spectacular destinations. If you like long beach walks this is the state to go where a long sweep of beaches ends where reef pools are exposed by the tide. Taipus de Fora, ranked as one of the top 5 beaches in Brazil,  has clear water and is surrounded by unforgettable landscapes.

One main thing that worth being mentioned about beaches in Bahia is that are natural swimming pools formed by reefs when the tides are low which is something unique and beautiful to experience.

Many Brazilians refers to this beach as “paradise” because it has translucent water and it is easy to spot turtles, octopuses, a plethora of fish and even sharks. This archipelago is 350 km of the north-east coast and its 3 more popular beaches are: Praia do Sancho, Baía dos Porcos and Atalaia.

Check it out some pictures of these paradises on earth: